Sip Your Modo: Pizzini, Dal Zotto, Brown Brothers, Coriole & Italian Style Wines

Over 200 people attended Sip Your Modo, a wine tasting event held on a Sunday afternoon where wineries from Australia presented their range of Italian-style wines.

Sip Your Modo at Global Gallery

Global Gallery in Paddington provided an artful backdrop to a tasting of over 35 wines from various Australian vineyards growing Italian grape varieties: Brown Brothers, Coriole, Crittenden Estate, Dal Zotto, De Bortoli, Di Lusso Estate, Oliver’s Taranga, Pizzini Wines and Tintilla Estate.

Margherita Trio band

The Margherita Trio band entertained the crowd as they sipped on Italian varietals, lined the stomach with bread dipped in estate-grown olive oils and tasted some cheeses, olives and tapenades.

Coriole

Alex Sherrah of Coriole

Starting with Coriole, in South Australia’s McLaren Vale, winemaker Alex Sherrah presented the range starting with Coriole Prosecco NV, a crisp and dry sparkling made using the Charmat method, in stainless steel pressurised tanks.

Coriole: Prosecco NV, Fiano 2011, Sangiovese 2010, Barbera 2010, Nebbiolo 2009

Next was Coriole Fiano 2011, Fiano being a region and a varietal, with a crisp and fruity style of white wine that is tank fermented and has no oak. Coriole Nebbiolo 2009 is a dry and earthy red comes from the Adelaide Hills. Coriole produce a small quantity of Nebbiolo and Barbera, with Sangiovese being the core product. Surprisingly, the Coriole Sangiovese 2010 was much lighter than the Barbera. This range of wine can be enjoyed now or cellared up to 7 years.

Brown Brothers

Katherine Brown of Brown Brothers

Over at Brown Brothers in Victoria’s King Valley, it was fourth generation family member Katherine Brown whom we’d first met at Taste of Sydney last month.

First on taste was Brown Brothers Limited Release Prosecco 2011 (8g of dosage) which is made from a single vineyard 600m above ground. Not to be confused with the Brown Brothers NV Prosecco (11g dosage), the Limited Release is mainly available on their premises and in restaurants.

Also on taste was the Brown Brothers Pinot Grigio 2011, made from King Valley fruit, Brown Brothers Moscato Rosa 2011, an aromatic wine and one of the favourites of the afternoon, and Brown Brothers Dolcetto and Syrah 2010, a fruity wine with just 10% alcohol that makes a good accompaniment to BBQ, pizza and spicy foods.

De Bortoli Wines

At De Bortoli Wines in Victoria, the BellaRiva range was on taste, a white and a red from the BellaRiva vineyard which the De Bortoli family planted in 1994. De Bortoli is situated on the King River at the base of the Victorian Snowfields.

BellaRiva Pinot Grigio/Vermentino 2010 and BellaRiva Sangiovese/Merlot blend 2010

BellaRiva Pinot Grigio/Vermentino 2010 isa 60/40 blend, a crisp, light and fresh style of white wine that suits dry palates, a characteristic attributed to the Vermentino grape.

BellaRiva Sangiovese/Merlot blend 2010 is a 65/35 blend, a savoury and medium-bodied red with an earthy aroma, and one of the favourites on taste.

Dal Zotto

Back to King Valley in Victoria with Dal Zotto Wines and it was great to catch up with Simon Dal Zotto whom we’d first met at the Wrapped in Riesling event and later at Taste of Sydney in March.

Simon Dal Zotto of Dal Zotto Wines

Dal Zotto is a family-owned winery which is renowned as the pioneer of Prosecco in Australia. Otto Dal Zotto was the first to plant the Prosecco grape in Australia and the NV Dal Zotto Pucino Prosecco with its crisp, fresh character with hints of citrus and a creamy mousse on pour was the all-time favourite of its kind on taste.

Also on taste, Dal Zotto Pinot Grigio 2011, a slightly aromatic wine with crisp, bright fruit and Dal Zotto Rosato 2010, a blend of Barbera and Sangiovese, a wine that is made using runoff juice before the reds are fermented. The Rosato is an easy to drink dry and savoury rosé that gets its acidity from the Barbera and its length from the Sangiovese.

Keep an eye out for our upcoming feature on Dal Zotto wines.

Crittenden Estate

You couldn’t wander past the eye-catching labels of the Pinocchio range from Crittenden Estate and not stop for a taste. Crittenden Estate is a family-owned winery located in Mornington Peninsula, Victoria and their Pinocchio wines are best enjoyed with food.

Zoe Crittenden of Crittenden Estate

Crittenden Estate were the first to produce Arneis wine in Australia, a Piedmontese style wine. The Pinocchio Arneis 2010 is an aromatic wine with pear and pineapple notes that goes well as an aperitif style or with oysters and seafood.

Pinocchio Pinot Grigio 2011 is crisper, dry and acidic and is also a match for seafood. Pinocchio Rosato 2010, a medium-bodied rosé made with Sangiovese which gives it tannins and structure. Pinocchio Sangiovese 2011 has a nice long finish and soft tannins while the Pinocchio Moscato 2011 makes a good accompaniment to desserts and cheeses.

Crittenden Estate also produce the Geppetto range of wines, a French-style of wine meant for every day drinking.

Pizzini Wines

Over at Pizzini Wines, also from King Valley in Victoria, Natalie Pizzini was showcasing six of the estate’s wines.

Natalie Pizzini of Pizzini Wines

Spoilt for choice, there was the Pizzini label started in 1994 and offered the following wines on taste: Pizzini Pinot Grigio 2011, Pizzini Prosecco 2011, PIzzini White Roman 2011 (blend of Trebbiano, Prosecco, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio), a savoury style of wine ready for drinking.

In the reds, Pizzini Nebbiolo 2009, Pizzini Il Barone 2006, a blend of Cabernet, Shiraz, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, and Pizzini Sangiovese 2010, another of the favourites.

Di Lusso Estate

Di Lusso Estate in Mudgee exclusively produces wines of Italian origins. Located on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, they also grow figs and olive trees on the estate.

On taste were Di Lusso Vermentino 2011, Di Lusso Sangiovese 2010, Di Lusso Barbera 2010 and Di Lusso Picolit 2009, a lighter-style dessert wine which suits palates that don’t favour the traditional sweet Botrytis styles.

Oliver’s Taranga

Nicky Connolly of Oliver’s Taranga

Oliver’s Taranga are located in the heart of McLaren Vale in South Australia and featured a range of wine from their small batch range.

Oliver’s Taranga Small Batch Vermentino 2011, Small Batch Fiano 2011 and Small Batch Sagrantino 2009

On taste there was Oliver’s Taranga Small Batch Vermentino 2011, a light and zippy style of wine, Oliver’s Taranga Small Batch Fiano 2011, zesty and fresh and Oliver’s Taranga Small Batch Sagrantino 2009, made from the Sagrantino grape which is found traditionally in the town of Montefalco in Umbria, with floral tannins and savoury fruit – another of the favourites.

Tintilla Estate

Tintilla Estate is a family-run winery and olive grove in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales.

They showcased their Rozzie Sprizante 2009, Tintilla Rosato di Jupiter 2011, NV Rosalind Blush and Tintilla Saphira Sangiovese 2010, an elegant medium-bodied wine that makes a great accompaniment to food.

More photographs of the event:

Matthew (Distant Thunder Whisky Club) and Rachelle – winners of our Sip Your Modo giveaway

Bread and cheese, estate-grown olives, oils, pastes and tapenades

Katrina Holden of Sip Your Style

Sip Your Modo was a great opportunity to get acquainted with Italian-style wines grown and produced on Australia’s home ground. Three hours of fun and relaxed sipping flew by with an eager crowd and winemakers and estate representatives engaging sippers with the story behind their wines.

Sip Your Modo was held at the Global Gallery, 5 Comber Street in Paddington on Sunday 22 April 2012 and presented by Sip Your Style and Winestream Communications.

Gourmantic attended Sip Your Modo as media guests.